Caulk Finished + A Snow Scene

I'll post some more photos in the morning but I wanted you to see my caulking job. I really liked doing it and I love the caulking gun I bought. Can't wait to do more. I tried using my finger, a small spoon from the frozen yogurt place, and a popsicle stick to get an even line. But ended up using something I found upstairs in my craft supplies stash -- a wooden stick that is bigger than a popsicle stick but smaller than a tongue depressor and it made just the bead I needed to cover the bottom of the tile and the right amount of tub. I had to do two applications of caulk because my gap was so deep after I dug out all of the old grout. I have a shower head that comes out of the ceiling that I'll try to get in a picture tomorrow. I'm tired but very happy.

Here is my balcony overlooking my barn/garage and the rear of my property. We got a nice layer of ice on top of this accumulation later in the day and poor Webster had a heck of a time finding a place to go after dinner. He kept falling through the deep stuff. It's very cold too and windy. Good night. xo

The Snow Queen is Working Overtime

The Snow Queen by Gyula Talos

She visited my cottage again last night and left a big heavy mess. I'll post a couple of photos of the snow here at my cottage later. via

Old Key that Was Never Lost

So amazing. I spend countless hours searching for keys and my glasses. Doesn't everyone?

The original key used at Stirling Castle in Scotland. The Castle dates from at least the early 12th century; present buildings mostly built between 1490 and 1600. I wonder how big this key is? I'm sure it must be quite large, never to have been lost in 900 years, counting from the 12th century to the 21st century! It's beautiful, isn't it? via

Virtual Snacks for The Party I'm Not Having

This looks like a delicious assortment of things to munch on while watching TV. Have a great evening. xo via

Best Media Room Ever.

I don't usually like flat screen TVs over a fireplace but I really love this one. Isn't this room fabulous? I love everything about it. I'm sure the Super Bowl party here will be fabulous. Me, won't be watching. PBS doesn't care and neither do I. via

My Favorite Landscaping

Wild and wonderful, easy to maintain. via 

I did go to the Home Depot today and got caulk and a caulking gun and I intend to master both. I'm still digging out grout and I'm doing that masterfully too. See you in the morning. xo

Connected cottages.

Via Houzz

Forget the back part. I'll just take the front connected cottages. Love this look!

Cleaning Big Ben

via

After seeing this photo, I shall not complain about my current task at hand. I am digging out all the old grout around my tub and then I'll put in new. Grout, not caulk. Heaven only knows why today was the day I decided to do it. It's like granite and I have every tool I own in the bathroom. A hammer and chisel to loosen and an old nail set to dig are my favorites, so far. I have a corner tub so I only have two sides around the top of the tub and then down to the floor. It's going well and I'm excited. It's a pretty awkward job and I have to get in the tub to work in certain spots. I'm not going to rush because I can use the shower downstairs until I finish. I know I will do a better job than any hired hand because I care the most about getting out all of the old stuff. I have a feeling a pro would just rough up the old stuff and put new over it, right? Then charge me a lot of money and run away.

The wind is howling outside and more snow is supposed to be coming over the weekend so I will have plenty to do if I get snowed in. Have a great weekend. xo

Boo.

My cat Tabitha has never been interested in boxes. This is so cute. via

Jeffersonian Architecture

Looks like a very good read.

In 1999, historians at the Virginia Historical Society acquired three curiously bound volumes of drawings and documents created between 1821 and 1858 by a long and unjustifiably-forgotten architect named Thomas R. Blackburn. Inspection revealed that these were, in fact, no ordinary documents but a unique window onto the life of a distinguished builder and his revered master: Thomas Jefferson.

In these extraordinary books, we find Blackburn, at first a young carpenter, engaged in the construction of Jeffersons famed "academical village" at the University of Virginia. He simultaneously embarked on an ambitious program of architectural study, guided, it appears, by Jefferson himself. The drawings he executed in the four decades that followed extraordinary ink and watercolor explorations of his many residential and civic commissions bear witness to his emergence as a mature and prolific architect in his own right.

In Jeffersons Shadow is a unique document of the relationship between an unknown but highly skilled country builder and the American statesman widely considered this nations first gentleman architect. But it is also an indispensable resource on the little-understood practice of architecture in the early and mid-nineteenth century. text found here This book is currently available on Amazon.